Intertwined
by xotakux2002x
Summary: an AU story about hidan and kakuzu growing up, and growing closer. life can be cruel, but as long as someone's there with you, it's possible to come out smiling in the end. kakuhidan yaoi
1. prologue

Kakuzu looked around the playground and frowned. Most of the equipment around here was made of wood, with the exception of the swing sets and jungle gym. Wooden equipment. Even a six-year-old like himself could see what a waste that was; the material would rot and have to be replaced, costing money. The builders should have just used metal; in the long run, it would cost less, and-

The child was ripped away from his thoughts by the sounds of screaming. He turned to see a boy a few years older than himself get chased by a small boy with silver hair and violet eyes. The smaller one looked upset and tackled the older child, punching him repeatedly in the head. Kakuzu ran over and grabbed the boy, pulling him away. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, trying to restrain the struggling boy.

"That bastard stole my damn rosary!" the child cried, kicking the elder boy who was still lying on the ground. Kakuzu raised a brow; he'd never heard a kid his age talk like this.

The older child finally got to his feet and spun around, glaring. He punched the child Kakuzu was restraining and threw a necklace at him. "Take it, you little freak!" he ran off before Kakuzu could release the boy, which no doubt would have resulted in unpleasant consequences for the thief.

As soon as Kakuzu let go f the child, he bent down and scooped up the necklace, holding it close to his chest. "Jashin, forgive me." Kakuzu raised a brow at the words, and the silver haired child noticed. "What the hell's with the weird look, dumbass?" he growled, anger turning on the taller boy.

"Who's Jashin? And who are you?"

"I'm Hidan, and Jashin is my god."

"Is he real?"

"Yes!" Hidan's eyes flashed for a moment. "But no one believes me when I tell them," he muttered, looking at the ground.

"I do." This statement seemed to surprise the silver haired child, and he looked up the other boy, anger gone from his face. "Hey, what the hell's your name?"

"Kakuzu, and why do you swear so much?"

"My parents say it's ok, so what the hell's the problem?" The taller boy shrugged. "I just don't hear kids swear as much as you."

"That's what that bastard said before he took my rosary," Hidan growled, turning to leave. "Bye."

"Wait." The Jashinist turned around. "Do you get hurt like that often?"

"Yeah, but I like it!" Kakuzu stared incredulously at the silver-haired kid. "You like getting hurt?"

"Uh-huh. My mom says that makes me a mas, maso…" Hidan paused, thinking, before a grin spread on his face. "Masochist!"

"So did you get hurt a lot?"

"Only by assholes that hate Jashin." Kakuzu looked the boy up and down and noticed for the first time that he had many cuts and bruises on his arms and legs. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"…Nope!" Hidan answered, the hesitation in his voice noticed by the greedy boy. Hidan turned to leave once more, only to have Kakuzu grab his arm. "If you want….you can stay with me. I don't think they'll pick on you if I'm here with you." Hidan tilted his head to the side. "You mean that?"

"Yeah. But you have to be friend, ok?"

"Ok!" Hidan grinned broadly, grabbing Kakuzu's arm and pulling him towards the jungle gym. "Hey, are you new around here, asshole?" he asked as they headed toward the jungle gym.

"Yeah. My family just moved in."

"You have any Jashin-damned brothers or sisters?"

"No."

"Me neither." Hidan let go of his friend's arm to climb the playground equipment. "I bet brothers and sisters suck."

"I guess." Kakuzu watched the Jashinist climb higher and higher, before swinging down and dangling by his legs. "Hidan, you're gonna get-"

"WHOOOOAA!" Kakuzu saw his friend slip and dove forward to catch him. Unfortunately, Hidan was heavier than he looked, and they both crashed to the ground.

"OOF!" Kakuzu glared up at the silver haired boy, who was sitting on him. Hidan glared right back. "You asshole, that would have hurt like a bitch!"

"But you could have broken something!" Kakuzu protested, trying to sit up. "Get up!"

"Hidan!" both boys turned to see a tall man with dark hair and eyes standing several feet away from them. "Come on, it's time to go home."

"Ok dad!" The Jashinist climbed up and walked over to his father, taking the man's hand. He turned around and smiled at the miser, waving his hand. "Bye dumbass! See ya tomorrow!"

"How the hell was that?" Hidan's father inquired in a friendly voice.

"My friend Kakuzu!" Hidan said, smiling as he and the man walked off, leaving Kakuzu all alone.

The boy sighed and looked around at the empty playground. His father had told him to stay outside and play until seven. He really wished he had a watch, or could tell time well enough to know when seven o' clock was. He could just stay out until sundown; it wasn't like his father would notice if he was out later, or would come looking for him.

Sometimes, he wished he still had a mother. Maybe she'd come looking for him. But maybe not. He didn't know; he'd never had a mom. It was always him and his dad, and that's how it always would be.

Sighing, Kakuzu walked over to the vacant swings and sat in them, slowly moving back and forth until he was steadily rising and falling in the air. His mind traveled as he kept swinging, focusing mainly on Hidan. "I hope he comes back tomorrow. He said he's my friend, and I think he means it. It's nice to have a friend, even if he is a little weird." Time passed, and before he knew it, the sun was going down. He stopped and hopped off the swing set, heading towards his home. It was only one block from his house, and he already knew how to get home from here.


	2. part 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~times passes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kakuzu blinked as he peered into the classroom. His first day of school. The sad thing was, he didn't know anyone here. He was just staring first grade, and he had no clue what to do. Not that his father had been much help. He'd just shown up, introduced himself to his son's teacher, and walked off. "Hey dumbass!"

The greedy child spun around to see his grinning Jashinist friend. A wave of relief instantly swept over him at the sight of the boy. "Hi Hidan. I didn't know you were going here."

"I didn't wanna, but dad made me," the silver haired boy growled, giving his father a mad look. The man was currently talking with the teacher, and judging from the look on the woman's face she wasn't looking forward to having the young child in her class. Hidan's father walked over to him and kneeled down. "Now remember, don't bleed on anything, or your mother will be bitching all night."

"Right, no scaring the teachers," Hidan growled, making his father smile and rub his head, before rising to his feet and exiting the room. "I swear, all the people around here flip out when they see just a drop of Jashin-damned blood."

Class began a few minutes later, and Hidan and Kakuzu ended up sitting on opposite sides of the room, thanks to an alphabetical order style seating chart. Kakuzu didn't even bother talking to the kids around him; they all knew each other, and pretty much just ignored the boy. Class was peaceful for all of five minutes, before a girl's high pitched scream went through the air. "Eww, get away!" Kakuzu leaned back in his seat and saw the pale faced child staring at Hidan, who was busy cutting his arm with his scissors. The teacher quickly rushed over and plucked them out of the Jashinist's hands. "Your father said you'd do something like this, but I never thought he was actually being serious…." She looked down and widened her eyes as she saw the silver haired child trying to stab holes in his wrist with his pencil. The writing implement was quickly confiscated, replaced with a crayon. Hopefully he wouldn't hurt himself with that. She ordered the child to wash up in the bathroom, earning a rude gesture from the child when she turned her back.

Kakuzu continued to watch the boy for a while, before returning to the busy work the children had been assigned on their first day. Nothing but coloring; what a waste of time and money. A few hours passed, and he nearly forgot about the little masochist. Until he heard the girl scream again. This time, Hidan had grabbed his paper and was deliberately giving himself paper cuts. The teacher sighed to herself and walked over to the Jashinist, quickly picking up the paper and throwing it away. "Why do you keep doing that?" the little girl asked in a high pitched voice.

"Because Jashin likes it!"

"Who's Jashin?" the girl asked in an innocent tone.

"My god!" Hidan said proudly.

"He's not real."

"Yes he is!"

"Nu-uh."

"Uh-huh, bitch!"

"Ms. Yumi, he just called me a bad word, and he keeps lying about some pretend god!" the child called out, making the teacher visibly slump and walk over to them again. "Now now, we can't make fun of someone because of their imaginary friends-"

"He's not imaginary, he's real, and both of you bitches are gonna burn in hell for saying that!"

It became so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" The teacher merely stared wide eyed at the foul mouthed boy, before the bell for morning recess rang. All the kids quickly lined up at the door, except for Hidan. Ms. Yumi told him he was to stay inside with her, while the others went out and played under the supervision of her aide.

Ten minutes later, she walked out to get water, only to find Kakuzu standing in the doorway. "Hmm? Honey, why aren't you out with the others?" She kneeled down in front of the boy. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name yet."

"It's Kakuzu," the boy muttered quietly.

"Kakuzu, you should be outside playing with the others. Don't you want to make friends?"

"They don't like me. And I already have a friend."

"Really?" she smiled. "Who?"

"Hidan." The smile fell, replaced with a look of surprise. "He's your friend?"

"He said we're friends, so yeah," Kakuzu answered, looking at the ground.

"I see…." She frowned, a thoughtful look crossing her face. Her eyes flashed and a smile spread across her countenance. "Kakuzu, do you want to help me with something?"

"What is it?" he asked warily.

"Kakuzu, I can't have class if your friend keeps swearing and hurting himself all the time. So, if I moved you by Hidan, would you mind trying to keep him under control?"

"Sure!" Kakuzu replied, eager to be by his friend.

"Alright, I'll move you, but if you two start talking too much or causing more problems, you get moved right back, ok?" The child nodded just as the bell rag again, signaling the end of recess. As the children filed inside the room, Ms. Yumi pulled aside the girl that sat next to Hidan, telling her she would be switching seats with Kakuzu. Both she and the Jashinist seemed to like this change, and the sliver haired boy was practically beaming when his friend sat down beside him. "How'd you get moved, dumbass?"

"She thinks I can make you behave. Quit causing problems, or I get moved again." Hidan frowned. "Does that include me calling you dumbass, dumbass?"

"Yes," Kakuzu whispered, noticing the look the teacher was giving them.

"Can I call you Kuzu?"

"Why not just Kakuzu?"

"Because I hate the sound of it, dammit."

"Only if you promise not to swear in school."

"Hell yeah!" Hidan whispered quietly, smiling at his friend. School was definitely gonna be more fun with his friend nearby.


	3. part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~two years later~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Give that back, you asshole!" Hidan ran at an older boy and tackled him. He immediately began punching the boy, only to be pulled off of him moments later by two other kids. "You little punk!" the child that had been tackled immediately began punching Hidan while his friends held the Jashinist in place.

"Let go of him!" the boy turned just in time to be tackled by another child, sending him to the ground in a wave of fists.

"Alright, break it up!" the teacher ran over and separated Kakuzu from the older boy, who now had a bloody nose. "All of you, go to the principal's office immediately!"

"Sorry I got you in trouble, Kuzu," Hidan muttered as the five children sat outside the principal's office, awaiting their doom.

"It's ok, they deserved it," Kakuzu replied, making the Jashinist look up at his friend and smile. The door opened, and immediately the zealot's smile disappeared.

Principal Sarutobi stood over the students, looking at them. "Kakuzu, Hidan, in my office." The other three children snickered, earning a stern glare from the principal as the two second graders filed into his office.

Hidan and Kakuzu quickly took their normal seats; they were practically regulars by now. Sarutobi sighed and walked around to his chair, sitting down and staring at the boys. "Alright, what happened this time?"

"Some bastards made fun of my Jashin dam-"

"With all do respect, Hidan, I'd prefer to her Kakuzu's story. His versions tend to have less swearing." The Jashinist frowned but sat back in his seat, looking at his friend. Sarutobi motioned for Kakuzu to pick up where Hidan had left off. "Ok, we were outside, and these fifth grades punks that have been messing with us lately went up to Hidan and said his religion was fake, and that his parents were just psychos that sacrifice goats."

"They only use squirrels," Hidan muttered.

"I'm going to pretend I never heard that," Sarutobi muttered.

"Anyway," Kakuzu went on, "Hidan got mad and attacked him, they called his rosary trash, he went for their leader, and they ganged up on him! I just stepped in to help even the odds." Sarutobi had to admit, that wasn't hard to do with Kakuzu. The kid was definitely the biggest in his grade, and easily could have taken on two, if not all three, of the children that had attacked the two boys.

"Boys, I'm sorry, but this is the third time THIS MONTH that you two have gotten into a fight. I had to call your parents." Hidan paled and Kakuzu merely shrugged. "They should be here any minute," their principal went on, just as a loud crash was heard coming from the office. "WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!"

"Oh crap," Hidan muttered, sinking down into his seat. "Jashin, please smite me now."

"HIDAN!" the door burst open, revealing the boy's enraged father. "Mind telling me why the hell I got yet another phone call from this bastard saying you got into a Jashin damned fight?!"

"Well now I know where he gets it," Sarutobi muttered as Kakuzu shot him a knowing look.

"Dad, those assholes were making fun of Jashin!"

"Oh." The anger immediately faded from the elder zealot's voice. "Well that's all right then. Just beat the crap out of those dumbasses out school from now on, ok?"

"Hell yeah!" Hidan exclaimed, punching his fist into the air. A moment later, a second man walked into the room. He was tall and had a muscular build, with tanned skin. "Kakuzu?"

"Here dad."

"Um…" the man walked over to the boy, clearly not sure what to do. "Kakuzu, they said you got into another fight-"

"It's ok, I was just protecting my friend, dad. It won't happen again, and I didn't pick this fight."

"Oh. Ok, as long as you learned your lesson…" the man's voice trailed off, still unsure of what to do now. Hidan's father walked over and smiled at the man. "Hello. I guess it's safe to assume you're Kakuzu's old man?"

"Yes."

"I'm Hidan's father. My son's told me a hell of a lot of good stuff about your kid."

"Ok…."

"Hey dad!" Hidan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Could Kakuzu come over?"

"Only if this bastard doesn't have a problem with it," his father answered, motioning to the taller boy's father.

"…That's fine…"

"YAY!" Hidan cried out, punching his fist into the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~later that evening~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So this is where you live," Kakuzu muttered, looking at the house.

"Hell yeah!" Hidan opened the door and turned to his friend. "Quit standing there like a dumbass and come in!"

The miser looked around the house in surprise. He'd never been in another person's house before, and the neatness was rather startling. He felt Hidan grab his arm and drag him down a hallway and into a bedroom. Judging from the messiness and various Jashinist symbols scattered everywhere, it was safe to assume that this was Hidan's room. "So, what the hell do we do now?"

"No clue."

"Wanna go play with the crap in the kitchen?"

"Why not?"

~~~~~~~~one disastrous mess later~~~~~~~~~~~

"You two are banned from my Jashin damned kitchen!" Hidan's mother screeched, staring down at the two boys who appeared to be covered in a mixture of popcorn, jelly, and chocolate frosting. "Now please clean up, while I hunt down your bastard of a father and kick his sorry ass for this…" she growled, grabbing a steak knife out of the drain board and wiping off the jelly clinging to it.

The two kids took turns in the shower before changing into their pajamas and returning to Hidan's room. "You think you're dad's ok?"

"Hell yeah. I'd be more worried if the bitch didn't come at him with a Jashin damned knife all the time," Hidan said, smiling happily. "Hey, what the hell's your mom like?"

"Dunno."

"Huh? Whaddya mean, 'dunno'? How can you not know what your mom's like, dumbass?"

"I've never had one. It's always been my dad and me."

"Seriously?" Hidan asked, eyes wide.

"You didn't notice?"

"Guess not. Hey, I've got an idea. Wanna share mine?"

"Hidan, you can't just share parents with someone else."

"Why the hell not?" Hidan asked as he climbed into his bed. "Just keep bringing your ass over here, and pretty soon you'll be part of this Jashin damned family."

"I'm not sure that'll work," Kakuzu replied, crawling into his sleeping bag.

"You think too much, Kuzu," Hidan said, grinning at his friend.

"Night Hidan."

"Night dumbass."


	4. part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~two years pass~~~~~~~~~~

"Dumbass!" Kakuzu turned around just in time to have Hidan collide with him, making him stumble back from the force. "Oww!"

"What the hell'd you stop for, asshole?!" Kakuzu resisted the urge to yell at his friend, looking him up and down. "Fun first day?" he asked, noticing fresh bruises on his friend's body. Due to school zone changes, he and Hidan now went to different middle schools.

"Fun as gouging my Jashin-damned eyes with a spork, can we please hurry the hell up?" Hidan growled, pushing his friend down the sidewalk. Kakuzu dropped the subject and began walking again, heading towards Hidan's house. It had become a tradition for the two of them to hang out at the Jashinist's house after school, and there was no reason to break that tradition now.

They barged into the house, slamming the door shut behind them. "Mom, we're home!"

"How the hell was your day?" A silver haired woman asked, smiling as she walked into the room, carrying a large paper bag.

"Fun as hell," Hidan growled, eyeing the bag.

"Same with me," the miser answered, knowing Hidan's mother cared as much about him as she did about her own son.

"Good. The Jashin-damned Cokes are in the damn fridge, and I got these for you." She smiled as she pulled out a bag of potato chips, holding them up in front of the boys. "Fight to the death," she commanded, tossing them up in the air and quickly exiting the room.

She unpacked the food and grinned as she heard several screams and crashes from the next room. When she returned moments later, Kakuzu was lying face down on the floor, While Hidan was leaning against the wall, holding up the food triumphantly. "You managed to make a hell of a mess," she commented, looking around the living room. "The destruction has no doubt pleased Jashin."

"Thanks mom!"

"Anytime. And now I'll get the damn bactine for Kakuzu's injuries."

RIIIIIIIIIIING

Kakuzu groaned and rolled over in his bed, hoping his dad would get the phone.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIING

Wait, his dad was still at work. Sighing, the miser crawled out of bed and walked out the door, heading down the hallway and picking up the phone. "Hello?" he muttered sleepily, praying it was a wrong number.

"Kakuzu, I'm sorry to wake you up, but it's urgent as hell." Hidan's dad.

The boy was awake immediately. "What is it?"

"There's been an accident. Hidan and I are on our way over to pick your ass, so be ready, dammit."

"Ok," Kakuzu answered, a sickening feeling developing in the pit of his stomach. He ran into his room and quickly pulled on jeans and a shirt, lacing his shoes just as he heard a rap on the door. He shot down the hall and opened the door, worry intensifying as he saw the look on the face of his adoptive father. "Let's go," was all the man said before turning and heading back to his car.

Kakuzu shut the door and jumped into the backseat of the car, looking over to see Hidan staring at the floorboard and wringing his hands. "Hidan, what's going on?"

"Mom's in the Jashin-damned hospital."

The trio sat quietly in the ICU of the hospital, waiting. Kakuzu wanted to scream, the silence was so choking. Finally, a doctor walked out to them. "You can see her now. She's unconscious, but still, you might want to…"

"Alright." Hidan rose and followed his father, with Kakuzu hanging back. "Dumbass, come on," Hidan said, turning and stopping.

"It's family only," the miser muttered, staring at the ground. Hidan's father walked over and grabbed Kakuzu's hand and pulled him off the chair. "You're family, dumbass," he said bluntly.

The trio walked into the room. Kakuzu's eyes widened when he saw all the tubes hooked up to the woman who'd been like a mother to him, the only sound in the room her heart monitor her body was badly bruised, and she looked cut up all over. "What the hell happened?" Hidan asked, speaking Kakuzu's unasked question.

"A bunch of Jashin-damned thugs beat her up," his father answered darkly. "For no reason at all."

Kakuzu let Hidan and his father go first, both whispering into her ear, before he finally walked up and spoke to her. When they left, Hidan's father was stopped by a police officer. "Excuse me, sir, but I must speak with you?"

"About what?"

"Your wife. Sir, did she have any jewelry on her?"

"Just her damn rosary. We all do," he said, pulling out his own and Hidan's to prove it.

"I see. Sir, there was no rosary on her, anywhere. We have reason to believe that she was beaten like this because of her religious affiliations."

"What?!"

"There has recently been an increase in the number of hate crimes in the city-" a loud, high whine cut them off.

It was the sound of a patient flat-lining.

Kakuzu watched as doctors rushed into the room, trying to revive the dead woman. "HIDAN, WAIT!" he turned to see his friend rush down the hall. "I'll get him," he quickly said, dashing after the boy.

He ran after Hidan, eventually going outside the hospital building and into a dark garden area behind the facility. "Hidan?" he called out, scanning the area. He finally caught site of his friend sitting in the corner of the bricked in area, curled up into a ball. "You ok?" Dumb question.

"No," Hidan whimpered, shaking slightly. Kakuzu kneeled down in front of his best friend, reaching out and touching his shoulder lightly. "Hidan…"

"Why her?" the Jashinist looked up, tears in his eyes. "Why the hell did it have to be her?!" Kakuzu wasn't sure how it happened, but the next instant his arms were wrapped around Hidan's body, and the zealot was sobbing into his chest. A few tears ran down his own face, but for Hidan's sake he refused to break down.

It seemed to take an eternity for Hidan to calm down, but he finally stopped crying gently pulled away from Kakuzu. "I don't want to go back inside."

"We can wait for a little longer," Kakuzu suggested.

"Hell no. I'm NEVER going back inside a Jashin-damned hospital again." Fresh tears rose to his eyes, and the miser pulled Hidan back into his arms. They stayed like that until Hidan's father found them.


	5. part 4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~two more years pass~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kakuzu grinned to himself as he exited the middle school for the final time. He'd just finished his eighth grade year, and was eager to leave the hell behind him. He resisted the urge to shake his head as he watched the other children rush by, chatting about what their plans were for the summer. Kakuzu already knew what he was going to be spending his time doing. And in order to start things, he needed to pick up his friend, which involved walking several miles before doubling back for a few more. Better get started.

Hidan was leaning against the building, waiting for Kakuzu to show up. As soon as he saw the giant of a teen walk towards him, he grinned and ran up to the miser. "Hey dumbass!" he shouted, stopping in front of his only friend. "What the hell are we doing tonight?"

"Crashing at my place, what else?" Hidan smirked and began walking alongside Kakuzu, who was already heading for his house.

"Hey, 'Kuzu?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I stay for a few Jashin-damned days?"

"Problems with your dad?"

"Hell yeah." Ever since his mother had dad, Hidan and his father had been having more and more problems at home. Recently, Hidan had been coming over two or three times a week to stay with Kakuzu, sometimes three or four days in a row. The miser didn't really mind; a loud mouthed zealot was much better company than a dad who was either always asleep or at work.

As soon as they were inside the miser's home, Hidan began to shiver. "Dude, your house is cold as hell!"

"Great, dad must have turned on the AC while I was out," the miser grumbled, walking down the hall to fix the thermostat. Hidan heard loud swearing a moment later. "Great, he jammed it! I'm going to have a talk with him about our budget…"

Hidan had already lost interest in the conversation and was making a bee line for the fridge. "I'll get the food, dumbass!" The meant Kakuzu would be in charge of picking their form of entertainment for the night.

The miser walked into the living room and flipped on the TV, flipping through the channels until one commercial caught his eye. "Hidan, Club Dread's about to come on!"

"Seriously?!"

"Yes."

"Hell yeah!" The teen could almost picture his albino friend punching his fist in the air at the news. It couldn't be helped; they were suckers for movies like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~hours later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sweet, Half Baked came on too," Hidan muttered, a smirk on his face as he stared at the screen. Kakuzu rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around the Jashinist. The two of them were currently stretched out on the couch, with Hidan lying on top of Kakuzu. It was the only way they could both sit on the narrow couch at the same time. Not like either of them were complaining about this, of course.

When the next commercial came on, Hidan sighed and looked up at his friend. "Dumbass?"

"I'm not moving, so get your own Coke."

"That's not what I was gonna say, asshole. The bastard says we can't stay in our Jashin-damned house anymore because it's too damn big for the two of us, so we're moving into a crappy apartment."

"Where to?"

"A few blocks up. But it's enough to put us in the same damn district for high school." Hidan smirked as Kakuzu stared at him.

"We'll be in the same school again?"

"That's what I just said, dumbass."

"About time. I was thinking about telling the old man to move us," the miser stated, eyes going over the new and old bruises on his friends pale body. It was a damn good thing that Hidan was a masochist, or else the school thugs might have shattered him by now. At least if they were in the same building, Kakuzu had a chance of protecting his friend.

"You happy?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now get me a damn Coke."

Hidan heard the soft click of the TV being turned off, but didn't bother to open his eyes or move off of Kakuzu's chest. He knew the banker would just pick him up and set him back down on the couch like he always did, so there was no point in stirring from his half-asleep state. Besides, he was feeling rather lazy at the moment, and didn't want to leave the warm sanctuary of Kakuzu's arms.

"Hidan?" The Jashinist didn't stir. Even when the miser began running his fingers through the teen's silver locks, Hidan didn't make a sound or show any signs of consciousness. The banker wrapped both arms around the Jashinist and sat up. To Hidan's surprise, he merely scooted up on the couch and sat back against it, still holding the zealot to his chest. "Hidan…"

The miser pressed his lips to Hidan's forehead, effectively making the Jashinist's mind shut down.

Hidan opened his eyes to look up at his long-time friend. "'Kuzu?"

"Yes?"

"Why the hell did…you just…kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to." This earned him a cuff and a flat look from the silver haired teen. "No smartass answers, Kakuzu."

"I wasn't being a smartass. I wanted to kiss you, so I did. And now, I want to again," Kakuzu explained, pressing his lips to Hidan's cheek.

"Again, why?"

"Because I like you, Hidan. Is that a problem?"

"No just…damn, I didn't think you felt like that."

Kakuzu gently shoved Hidan off of him and onto the couch. "Sorry if it bothers you," he muttered as he rose to go, only to have Hidan latch onto his arm.

"Asshole, it doesn't bug me. Unless you're being a bastard and lying…"

"I'm not," Kakuzu replied, sitting down next to his friend and pulling him close. "Really, I'm not."

"Good, 'cause I'd sacrifice you if you were." Kakuzu smirked and cuffed his friend lightly. "Shut up."

"Never!"

The miser rose from the couch again. "Well, I'm going to bed."

"You're gonna leave me here to freeze, asshole?!" Hidan yelled, looking at his new boyfriend with wide eyes.

The taller teen looked at the zealot for a moment before leaning down and picking him up, slinging him over his shoulders like a sack. "What the hell?!"

"Hidan, behave or I'll lock you in the pantry." The Jashinist remained quiet as they headed to Kakuzu's room, squeaking when the miser hurled him onto the bed. "Asshole."

"Like I haven't heard that before," Kakuzu said, climbing in beside Hidan. As soon as he was under the covers, Hidan curled up against him, trying to steal body heat. "Are you really that cold?"

"Hell yeah."

The banker wrapped both arms around the albino and held him to his chest. "How you can be so cold natured, I'll never know."

"Shut the hell up. I want to sleep, Jashin dammit."


	6. part 5

~~~~~~~~~~months pass~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the cold that finally made Kakuzu wake up. He groaned and rolled out of his bed, grumbling as he walked across the room and into the hallway. The miser shuffled down the deserted corridor and stopped in front of the thermostat, shutting off the AC and turning the temperature back up to 74. "Dammit, dad, we don't need to spend extra cash on cold air," he muttered, turning to go back into his room. It was Saturday, and he wanted sleep. He walked back into his room and shut the door, sighing as he walked over to his bed and flopped down…

Landing on something hard.

"Jashin dammit!" Hidan growled, crawling out from under the covers to glare at his boyfriend. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, speech still slurred by sleep.

"Sorry Hidan. I forgot you were here."

"That's understandable, dumbass. After all, I've only been here for the past 2 FUCKING WEEKS!" Things had gotten much worse at Hidan's house, and the zealot had finally been forced to leave, with nothing but the rosary around his neck. He'd done the only thing he could think of, and gone to live with Kakuzu.

Naturally, the banker had had no problem getting Hidan to move in with him. It wasn't like his father would care, either. Actually, the miser and his dad hadn't seen each other in a while, and the man was gone so often and for so long that Kakuzu probably could have brought a bull elephant and his father wouldn't have noticed.

"Kuzu…" the banker looked down to see Hidan pulling on his shirt, tugging him toward the zealot. "Are you coming or what, dumbass?"

"I just had to shut off the AC. My father kicked it up again," Kakuzu explained, crawling under the sheets.

"Uh-huh," Hidan mumbled, burying his face in Kakuzu's chest as sleep washed over him again. The older teen hugged Hidan to his chest, fingers combing through messy silver locks. Soon enough, his own eyelids were drooping shut, and both of them were asleep.

Hidan woke up a few hours later, still wrapped up in the miser's arms. "Dumbass, wake up. I want breakfast, dammit." It took a few more minutes of fidgeting and whining, but soon enough Kakuzu was awake as well. The two climbed out of bed, Hidan stretching as his boyfriend walked towards the door. "What's for our Jashin-damned breakfast, dumbass?"

"Dunno. But look at the clock; it's lunchtime." Hidan followed his friend out of the room and down the hall, finally stopping in the kitchen.

"Damn, your father left nothing but crap in the fridge. Sandwiches it is, dumbass," Hidan stated, pulling bread and lunch meat out of the fridge. When he shut it, Kakuzu noticed a piece of paper taped to the refrigerator. "Dumbass, what's that?"

"No clue," Kakuzu answered, pulling the paper off the fridge and reading it.

Hidan smirked. "Maybe it's your dad's Jashin-damned excuse for leaving shit in the fridge."

"…"

"Dumbass?" the smirk fell from Hidan's face, quickly replaced by a frown. "What's it say?"

"Read it," Kakuzu ordered, handing the paper to Hidan. The zealot's eyes scanned the paper, growing wider after each line.

"_Kakuzu, this is very hard for me to say, but I must say it. I've never been a very good father, because I have no clue what to do, as you well know. You've grown to be very independent of me, and are fully capable of taking care of yourself. That's why I'm leaving you. I simply can't handle this anymore. I already have an apartment set up, and I've taken all the things I need; feel free to sell or keep the rest. There's a bank account set up for you with about five hundred dollars in it. I think it'll last you until you get a job. The PIN number and all the rest are in the top drawer, under the silverware. Take care, and good luck._

_Your father_

Hidan crumpled up the paper in his fist, shaking. "That fucking son of a bitch," he spat out.

"You wanna know the worst part?" Kakuzu asked, a bitter smile on his face.

"What?"

"He dated it."

"How is that-"

"Look at it." Hidan obeyed the command. "The bastard's been gone for three days, and we didn't even notice."

"Dear Jashin," Hidan muttered, dropping the paper onto the table. He turned to Kakuzu. "What the hell do we do now?"

"The house is paid off, so all we have to worry about are groceries and utilities. I can get a job, no problem. The five hundred should last us a while, so as long as we don't have any major medical bills or the house burns down, we'll be fine."

"…You sound like you've fucking planned this all out."

"Hidan," Kakuzu began, turning to make coffee, "I've known my dad would leave me for years. First mom, then him. Damn, every person that I have around always leaves me. It's like I'm cursed or-"

"Shut the hell up."

The miser turned around and was surprised to see Hidan glaring at him. "Hidan, what-"

"I said shut the fuck up!" The anger in the zealot's voice surprised Kakuzu, so he remained silent as Hidan went on. "You just said every fucking person in your life leaves you. I suppose that fucking includes me, dumbass?"

"Hidan-"

"It does, doesn't it?!" The Jashinist began pacing the room angrily. "Is that all you fucking think of me?! That one day I'll just fucking walk out on you like your bitch of a mom, or your shitty dad?!"

"Hidan, please-"

"I'M NOT FUCKING DONE!" Hidan stopped pacing to look Kakuzu in the eyes. "I'm not leaving, dammit. You're my whole fucking world, and nothing short of Jashin himself is changing that, dumbass."

Kakuzu slowly walked forward, reaching out. "Hidan…" the Jashinist jerked away at Kakuzu's touch, startling the miser. He bent down to be eye level with his boyfriend. "Hidan, you know I wasn't talking about you. I just didn't think before I started talking. I was just…well, being a dumbass."

Hidan laughed and allowed himself to be hugged by the banker. "That's what I've been saying for years, Kuzu."

The elder teen placed a finger under the Jashinist's chin, tilting his head up and kissing him. Hidan melted into the kiss, anger all but forgotten. When they broke away, both were smiling. "Hidan…"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor. Go up to my dad's room, and smash anything he left behind into tiny pieces."

The zealot grinned. "With pleasure." He dashed out of the room, and a few seconds later Kakuzu could hear the sound of things smashing down the hall.

The miser smiled to himself as he finished making the coffee. "I'd better get started on the sandwiches."


	7. part 6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~December~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hidan swore that he'd kill Kakuzu when the banker got home.

He was currently sitting at the kitchen table, wrapped in every blanket that he'd been able to find, and was waiting for the miser to come home. "I feel like a fucking house wife waiting for my Jashin-damned husband," he muttered, not realizing how close to the truth that statement was.

The door opened and Kakuzu walked into the house. Like always, Hidan's anger dissipated when he saw the elder teen come in. Besides the fact that he was in love with the guy, Kakuzu always looked tired when he got home from work.

Work. Kakuzu had indeed gotten an after-school job, just like he'd said; all he'd needed was a fake ID, and his appearance took care of anyone that may have thought that he was underage.

The miser looked around and caught sight of Hidan for the first time. "Why aren't you in bed?" he asked.

"It's fucking cold in here," the zealot answered, walking over to Kakuzu. The miser had taken the liberty of turning the thermostat down to 60 degrees to save on heating bills, a fact the Jashinist detested.

"What does that have to do with you staying up?"

"This," Hidan answered, hugging the miser as a pair of arms encircled him. Body heat quickly transferred to Hidan, making him smile; Kakuzu was like his own personal heated blanket.

"You're freezing," the banker muttered, picking up Hidan like a child and carrying him to their room. The bedroom was even colder than the kitchen, and Kakuzu could hear his boyfriend's teeth chattering as he set him on the bed. "We really should get another blanket," he muttered.

"That's what I've been fucking saying for weeks!" Hidan snapped, rubbing his hands frantically over his arms in an attempt to generate body heat.

Kakuzu was about to make a sharp retort, when a better plan came to him. "Hidan, I think I know how I can get you to warm up. You willing to try it?"

"Depends on what the hell it is, dumbass."

"It's the only way to get you warm," was all the miser would say.

"Fine. But this had better fucking work," Hidan said. Kakuzu sat on the bed and pulled Hidan into his lap. Without giving the Jashinist time to question this, he pulled Hidan into his lap and pressed their lips together.

Almost immediately Hidan could feel a difference in this kiss. Mostly their kisses were quick, or cautious; this one was lustful, and Kakuzu was making no move to pull away anytime soon. His mouth began working against the banker's stiffening as he felt a cold hand slide up his shirt, roaming over his soft flesh.

Kakuzu nibbled Hidan's lower lip, and the zealot gave him entrance, pushing his tongue against the banker's. Kakuzu's hands slid back down Hidan's body and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it off and tossing it away. "Jashin dammit, I'm still fucking cold!" Hidan whined, glaring at the banker for tearing away the warm clothing.

"Relax, Hidan," Kakuzu ordered, pushing the zealot down to lie on the bed. "I'll get you nice and warm." His mouth was once again against Hidan's moving with more force and dominating the smaller teen.

Hidan shuddered as familiar fingertips ghosted over his chest again, before sliding down his sides and squeezing the pale flash gingerly, testing the Jashinist's limits. "Bastard," Hidan growled.

"Hmm? What did I do know?"

The Jashinist answered by sitting up and grabbing Kakuzu's shirt, pulling it off the miser and throwing it on top of his own shirt. "Better?" Kakuzu asked, smirking.

The zealot nodded, eyes traveling over Kakuzu's toned chest. Cautiously, he reached out, rubbing his fingers over the heated skin, eventually moving up to wrap themselves around the miser's neck and kiss him once more.

Kakuzu tilted them backwards to lay on the bed once more, his hands once again traveling all over his love, enjoying the newfound freedom he could have when dealing with Hidan's body.

The hands slid lower and felt a bulge growing in Hidan's pants. Good, he was getting hard. Satisfied, the banker slipped one hand into Hidan's pants, earning a squeak from the smaller teen, followed by several moans as he began pumping him. "Do you want more?" he asked calmly.

"Fuck yeah," Hidan murmured, eyes half-lidded as he gave in to the pleasure Kakuzu was giving him.

"Alright," the banker replied, pleased with the answer. He released Hidan and moved both hands to undo Hidan's pants, before tossing the clothing away, leaving his lover bare before his eyes.

Against his will, Hidan began blushing as Kakuzu's eyes traveled over his body. "Stop it," he ordered, sitting up to undo Kakuzu's pants.

"I can't help it," the banker whispered, leaning in so that his lips were against Hidan's ear. "You're fucking gorgeous."

Hidan's blushed deepened, not helped by the fact that he was having trouble undoing Kakuzu's pants. Finally freeing the miser of his clothing, Hidan grabbed Kakuzu's hand and stuffed three fingers into his mouth, fingers playfully wrapping around each one. He was a masochist, but there was no way he was going without a little preparation.

Kakuzu finally ripped his fingers away and moved them to Hidan's entrance, poking two in immediately. "FUCK!" Hidan hissed, clinging to his lover.

"Too much?" Kakuzu asked in mock concern.

"No, but a fucking warning would have been nice, asshole!"

"Sorry," he muttered, poking in a third finger. Hidan was already squirming in his lap, so he began hooking his fingers, looking for that one spot-"AHH!" A few more strokes and screams told him he'd gotten it.

Hidan grinned as the fingers left his body, knowing what was coming. Kakuzu grabbed him by the waist and slowly lowered Hidan onto his cock. The Jashinist hissed, fingers digging into the banker's back. Kakuzu stopped once he was all the way inside, giving the zealot time to adjust. Hidan started fidgeting, and Kakuzu lifted him up, slamming Hidan back down harder than before.

The two developed a rhythm, Hidan bouncing up and down as Kakuzu thrust up, trying to get as far inside the Jashinist as he could. Seeing Hidan beginning to wear down, Kakuzu lay him on the bed once more, pounding into the smaller teen, each cry and moan music to his ears.

Hidan's breathing was ragged, and he could feel the fiery coil in his stomach growing dangerously tight. With a final well-aimed thrust pushing him over the edge, he exploded on their chests, screaming Kakuzu's name at the top of his lungs. Kakuzu felt Hidan contract around him and came moments later, spilling his seed within the zealot.

Kakuzu collapsed onto the bed, propping himself up on his elbows to avoid crushing the Jashinist beneath him. "Warm now?" he asked.

"Yes, but I need a fucking bath," Hidan said, climbing out of the bed. Kakuzu was behind him in an instant, following him into the bathroom. "Kuzu, go to bed, dammit!"

"No. You're gonna collapse before you even get in there," the banker replied.

"I am not," Hidan answered, legs buckling beneath him.

"You were saying?" Kakuzu asked, carrying his partner into the bathroom.

"Fuck you."

"Shut up," Kakuzu commanded, carrying his boyfriend into the bathroom.

A quick bath cleaned them both off, and twenty minutes later they were back in the bed, curled up beneath the covers. "Kuzu?"

"Yeah?"

The zealot snuggled into the banker's chest, a hand splayed out over Kakuzu's heart. "I wuv you, Kuzu."

"Love you too."

"Good. And if you ever tell anyone I said that, you're fucking dead."


	8. part 7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~two years later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Kakuzu inwardly groaned as he shut off his alarm. Time to get up.

The miser loathed having to get up in the morning. It wasn't because he hated to rise at six a.m.; in fact, he actually liked getting up a bit early.

The problem was, Hidan detested getting up in the morning. And who do you think was responsible for making sure the little zealot woke up? "Hidan, get up," Kakuzu ordered.

"Hell no," the masochist grumbled, burying himself under the covers, as if he expected Kakuzu to just give up and let him sleep.

The miser rolled his eyes and grabbed Hidan's ankles, dragging him out of the bed and down the hall. "Hidan, wake up." When the zealot still didn't move, Kakuzu heaved him into the bathroom and tossed him into the bathtub. Knowing that his friend wouldn't be moving for a while, Kakuzu walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pot from the cabinet and quickly filled it with cold water. Thinking for a moment, he then went into the freezer and pulled out an ice cube tray, dumping the entire thing into the pot. This should do it.

Kakuzu carried the pot back into the bathroom and dumped the freezing water on his boyfriend, smirking at the effect it had on the smaller man. "FUCKING JASHIN!" Hidan screamed, eyes snapping wide open at the sensation. "What the hell, dumbass?!"

"You wouldn't wake up," Kakuzu explained, ignoring the death glare Hidan was shooting him. "Next time wake up when I tell you to."

Hidan merely grumbled as he threw his now soggy clothing out of the tub and turned the hot water on, intent on taking a hot shower. Kakuzu left the room. One of them had to make breakfast, after all.

An hour later they were on their way to school. They tried to get to Konoha High pretty close to when the bell rang; it wasn't like they had any friends to chat with, or any place to hang out before school started.

Hidan inwardly rolled his eyes at the kids who were pointing and whispering at the two of them. Jashin, you'd think that by junior year they'd be used to him and Kakuzu. But oh no, that was too much to expect out of these 17-year-olds. "Heathen bastards," he growled under his breath.

"Hidan, calm down," Kakuzu ordered. Out of the two of them, he was definitely able to control his temper better, meaning he also had an easier time of ignoring the rest of the teens. The bell rang moments later, and the entire student body went inside, prepared for class.

By some miracle of fate, Hidan and Kakuzu had identical schedules. Maybe the principal had finally noticed that Hidan would invariably get into fights with someone in the classes he didn't share with Kakuzu (or rather, the classes were Kakuzu wasn't there to restrain him). More likely though it was sheer dumb luck, and they'd have to transfer out of a few classes next year to mirror each other's schedule.

Their day passed relatively uneventful, until lunch time. Kakuzu and Hidan were sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, doing there best to try and ignore all the people around them. Normally, this was an effective strategy, but today someone decided they wanted to pick a fight with Hidan.

The kid's name was Aiden, and he seemed to get some sick kick out of screwing with the Jashinist whenever he could. He walked over to their table and smirked, leaning towards them. "Hey freaks. How's it going?"

"Where're your thugs?" Kakuzu asked calmly, ignoring the kid's question.

"They finally figure out what an asshole you are and ditch you?" Hidan asked, trying to figure out why his meat was grey.

Aiden's smirk fell, but he didn't back down. "They just didn't want to get to close to you, Hidan. Everyone's saying your cult goes around and kills people, then screws the dead bodies."

"What?" Hidan growled, failing to mask his anger.

Seeing he'd gotten the Jashinist riled up, Aiden went on. "That's right. For all we know, you could have AIDS or something. Including your fuck buddy here," he added, motioning to Kakuzu.

Hidan was on his feet in an instant, held back on by his partner's firm grip on him. "Let it go, Hidan."

"You outta listen to him," Aiden went on, enjoying tormenting the Jashinist like this. "But I bet it's true. They say even your mom had it."

"What?" Hidan hissed.

"That's right, she was probably just as screwed up as every other freaky cult member you're related to. Maybe it's better that she got killed in the streets, instead of dying slowly in a hospital. But either way, the bitch had it coming."

Not even Kakuzu was foolish enough to restrain Hidan after that.

The zealot charged at Aiden and slammed his fist into the punk's face, sending him to the ground. Hidan was on top of him a moment later, beating the hell out of the kid.

"Get off him!" a teacher yelled, rushing towards the trio. "HEY! I said get off of him!" It took a while, but Kakuzu and the man were finally able to pull Hidan off the now-unconscious teen. "Alright, you two go to the principal's office! I'll send him there as soon as he wakes up."

Tsunade stared at the two teens, a grim look on her face. "All right. What happened this time?"

"That punk Aiden came over to our table and started screwing with Hidan," Kakuzu explained. "He brought up his mom (Hidan clenched his fists) and said she got what she deserved."

"I see…listen, you two. I can understand why you fought, but I've told you both at least a hundred times not to fight on school grounds! I'm sorry, but I'm suspending you both."

"WHAT?!"

"Principal Tsunade, he started-"

"I know. He's going to get it too. Now leave. You two are forbidden from entering school grounds for the next week." Grumbling, the teens left her office.

"A whole Jashin-damned week off," Hidan muttered as he and Kakuzu walked down the sidewalk. "Oh well. At least I'll get to fucking sleep in now."

"Small graces, eh?" Kakuzu said, smirking.

"Kuzu, I'm sorry. But that bastard…"

"I know, Hidan. He had it coming. If you hadn't kicked his ass, I would've."

"You mean that, dumbass?"

"Of course. She was pretty much my mom too, ya know."

"Oh yeah…" The two lapsed into silence, until Hidan grabbed Kakuzu's arm. "Dumbass?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."


	9. part 8

"Hey dumbass!" Hidan yelled from the kitchen.

"What?" Kakuzu replied, not bothering to leave the living room and find out what was wrong with Hidan this time.

"Where the hell's the mayo?"

"The what?"

"The mayo, dammit! It's supposed to be in the fucking fridge, but it's not! Where the hell did you put it?"

"If it's not in there, we're out," Kakuzu stated.

Hidan came into the room moments later, glaring. "Then go to the Jashin-damned grocery and get some, dumbass!"

"Why do I have to?!"

"Because I wanna make a fucking sandwich, I need fucking mayo to do that, and I'm too fucking lazy to get it myself! Now go buy the mayo, dammit!"

Before Kakuzu could even register what was going on, he was on the doorstep with a wallet in one hand and a piece of paper with the word 'MAYO!' written on it in the other. "Ok, I just got kicked out of my own house by my boyfriend because he wanted mayo at 11 o'clock at night, and I can't come back home until I get it. And now I'm talking to myself."

Kakuzu walked down the sidewalk in silence, wondering whether he should bash Hidan's skull in when he got home, or just ignore the zealot for a few days. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the men that were following him, until they were almost on top of him.

He turned to look at the group; six in all, and every last one of them was a teenager. A kid stepped forward, but in the darkness, Kakuzu couldn't tell who it was. "Hello, freak."

Aiden. That meant that the other five hovering around him were Aiden's cronies. "What do you want?" Kakuzu snapped, wishing he'd stopped walking in a more populated area.

Aiden smiled and walked towards the banker. "Revenge for what your little boyfriend did to me. I still have bruises from that, you know."

Despite his situation, Kakuzu couldn't resist smirking. "Yeah, I figured. Hidan punches pretty hard, especially when he gets ticked off."

"That won't be the case for much longer. He's next, after we get through with you." Kakuzu heard several soft clicks, and in the soft light of the streetlight he could see a switchblade knife in each of his attackers' hands.

He frowned. This was a problem.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

"That had better be Kuzu asking me what kind of mayo I want," Hidan growled, picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"…"

"Hmm? Hey, is anyone there?"

"Hidan-"

"Hey dumbass, where the hell are you?"

"In an alley on Aiden's cell phone-"

"What the fuck?! Why are you on the bastard's phone?! Kakuzu, if you're-"

"Hidan, I am on his phone because I pulled it out of his pocket to call you, since I can't move to the pay phone."

Hidan's heart skipped a beat. "What?" he asked quietly.

"Aiden and his thugs thought it would be fun to cut me up, so I beat the hell out of them. They're all out like a light, I'm bleeding all over the place, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna faint."

Hidan's pulse was rapid by now. "Where are you?" he demanded.

"A block from the grocery. I'm going to hang up and call the paramedics now, ok?" Hidan had already slammed the phone back down onto the receiver and bolted out the door.

By the time Hidan arrived at the scene, the medics were already there. "Kakuzu!" he called out, trying to find the miser. He rushed towards the police line, trying to see if his boyfriend had been loaded onto an ambulance or not.

"Whoa there!" an officer said, grabbing onto Hidan. "Hold up. You can't get any closer. This is a crime scene."

"No duh, asshole! My friend's one of the Jashin-damned victims!" The masochist suddenly saw a stretcher go past with the miser on it. "Shit, there he is!" He began struggling against the officer's iron grip. "Damn it to hell, let me go already!"

"Kid, only family members or spouses are allowed on ambulances with a person."

"Good luck finding any! That guy's bastard of a dad ran off years ago, and who knows what the fuck happened to his mom!"

The officer seemed to think for a moment before leaning down to whisper into Hidan's ear. "Now listen. Get on the ambulance and tell them you're there to identify the victim, give medical information, that kind of thing. Ok?"

Hidan grinned and nodded. "Thanks. May Jashin smite your enemies!" With that being said, Hidan ran forward and hopped into the ambulance, praying that his friend would be all right.

Hidan was now sitting in the waiting room, waiting for word on Kakuzu. Just like he'd been doing for the last several hours.

Unfortunately, new thoughts kept popping into his head now and then. Were the other kids dead? Would Kakuzu have criminal charges pressed against him? And most importantly, how the hell were they going to pay for this?!

That last one was what really had the zealot worried. He knew Kakuzu was too cheap to pay for any kind of health insurance on them, so any medical bills were all out of pocket expenses. There was no way they had enough cash to cover something like this; maybe they could sell the house, or live off of ramen for the next few years…he shook his head and sighed. "Jashin help us," he muttered, closing his eyes and leaning his head back in the waiting room chair.

"Will I do?" a voice asked.

Hidan started and looked up into a familiar face. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Hidan's father walked closer to the zealot and sat down beside his son. "If you want the Jashin-damned truth, your little stunt with the cop ended up on the fucking news. I recognized Kakuzu and got the hell over here."

"What do you want?" Hidan spat out.

"Is that any way to talk to your fucking father?"

"All things considered, hell yeah."

"Hidan, I'm here to help. I've already paid for Kakuzu's stitches and-"

"HELL NO!" Hidan screamed, jumping to his feet. "There's no way in hell we're taking charity from a motherfucking asshole like you!"

"Hidan, sit your ass down right now!"

"Make me!"

"Hidan," the man went on, trying to calm down, "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. You may have been out of my house for a few Jashin-damned years, but that doesn't mean you're out of my fucking life."

"…" Hidan sat back down in his chair. "You've got my attention, asshole."

"Kakuzu's been calling me every few weeks-"

"That motherfu-"

"Just to tell me how the hell you're doing!" his dad interjected. "I'm sorry that we kept fighting until you fucking left, Hidan. Kakuzu knows that, so he just tells me what you guys are doing, when you're sick, that stuff."

"…Has he told you we're fucking?"

"No, but I kinda figured that. That guy's the only human outside the family you don't try to covert/kill whenever you see them, so I figured he was fucking special to you. That's why I paid the bill. Because he's precious to you, and you're precious to me."

"…This is the first time I've been in a Jashin-damned hospital since mom died," Hidan muttered quietly.

"That outta tell you something, dumbass," his dad stated.

A nurse walked into the room then, looking around until she spotted Hidan. She walked over to him, stopping a few feet away. "Sir, your friend is awake and asking to see you now." Hidan jumped to his feet and followed the nurse to the room Kakuzu was staying in.

Hidan's father smiled and rose to his feet, heading to the exit. "My work here is done."

Hidan's eyes widened as he entered the room and saw his friend. "Jashin dammit, what the hell did they do to you…"

Kakuzu was covered from head to toe in stitches, some even covering his cheeks. He shrugged at Hidan's response; at least the guy hadn't thrown up or fainted. "Aiden's little friends had switchblades. Need I say more?"

"No," Hidan replied, sitting on the edge of Kakuzu's bed.

The miser reached up and cupped Hidan's cheek in one hand. "You ok?"

"No I'm not!" Hidan snapped, the events of the past few hours finally catching up to him. "I fucking get a call from you at midnight saying that you're bleeding out in a fucking alley, I have to go inside a fucking hospital, you're fucking stitched up, I run into my old man, who tells me you two have fucking been talking about me behind my back, and, and…"

"And?" Kakuzu asked, wondering what else could have possibly gone wrong.

"I never got my fucking mayo!"

"Sorry about that," Kakuzu said, running his thumb over Hidan's cheek in a soothing manner.

"Don't be," Hidan grumbled, reaching up and placing his hand over Kakuzu's. "I guess I'm glad you're ok."

"Careful Hidan. You sounded sentimental right there."

"Shut the hell up, Kuzu, before I rip your stitches out."


	10. epilogue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~summer, senior year~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well that was a waste of time," Hidan grumbled, tossing his cap and gown into the closet and changing back into his street clothes.

"At least it's over," Kakuzu reminded him, changing as well. Their graduation ceremony had just finished, and every other senior in town was now heading out to party or go on a road trip. The town should be fairly quiet for the next few weeks.

"After that bitch Tsunade finally shut her trap," Hidan growled, flopping down onto their bed.

"Hidan, you can't go to sleep yet."

"I'm not gonna, dumbass. I'm just letting it sink in that we're finally done with the hell of school."

"Great, huh?"

"Yeah. But now I hafta get a Jashin-damned job, right?"

"I guess. But we can worry about that later." Hidan's eyes roamed over Kakuzu's body, tracing the scars that still marred the miser's body. He cursed Aiden with every fiber of his being. Even though the kid was in juvenile hall right now and was headed to prison once he hit 18, the zealot wouldn't be happy until the punk was dead. "What sounds good for dinner?" Kakuzu asked calmly, sitting down on the foot of the bed.

"Dunno. I'm sick of ramen though. Can we get pizza?"

"Too expensive."

"Please Kuzu?" The masochist crawled across the bed and into Kakuzu's lap, violet eyes looking pleadingly at his lover.

"Fine."

"Sweet!" Hidan leapt off the bed and ran out of the room. "I'm calling in an order right now!" Hidan had learned from past experiences to order take-out as soon as he was given permission to, or else Kakuzu might change his mind.

The food arrived in thirty minutes, and after a few minutes spent trying to convert the delivery boy Hidan finally paid the kid and slammed the door shut in his face. "Ungrateful heathen," the masochist growled, setting the pizza box down on the table. The two of them ate their dinner in front of the TV, Kakuzu getting up after they were finished to stick the leftovers in the fridge. "I'm gonna take a bath," Hidan called out, walking down the hall to the bathroom.

Kakuzu walked over to their phone and grabbed a sticky note and pencil, quickly jotting down a note for his boyfriend to find when he got out. "I'm going out for a while," was all it read.

Kakuzu walked down the sidewalk, eyes not really focusing on anything. He had no idea where he was going; his legs seemed to have a mind of their own.

He ended up at a park; the very same park where he and Hidan had met. He smiled as he looked around; the wooden equipment had been replaced by metal, which would no doubt hold up better than the former substance.

His legs carried him over to the jungle gym he and Hidan had played on so many years ago. Fingers slowly ran over the cool metal, memories flooding his mind-

"You know, some bastards might call a teenager hanging around a little kids' playground f-ing creepy," Hidan said.

The miser turned around to see his partner walking towards him, a grin on his face. "You finished your shower already?"

"Yeah, but I still need to dry my Jashin-damned hair," the zealot replied, running his fingers through his damp locks.

Kakuzu moved towards his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around Hidan's thin frame, hugging the smaller man close to his chest. "Your hair looks better when it's not full of gel, you know," he whispered into Hidan's ear, earning a shiver from the teen.

"I hate it like this. The damn stuff's so messy looking," Hidan grumbled.

"You sound like a woman when you talk like that," Kakuzu muttered, grinning.

"Shut the hell up."

"Alright," he replied, moving his lips to Hidan's and giving the smaller man a chaste kiss. "Now are you happy?"

Hidan's reply came in the form of another kiss, this one lasting much longer than the first. The two of them remained like that, glued to each other for Jashin knows how long. It had been a long time since their world had been so calm and peaceful; they were going to take their time and enjoy this.

When they finally broke apart for air, Kakuzu looked down at Hidan and raised a brow. "Where's your rosary?"

The zealot's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Oh crap, I forgot it!" He grabbed Kakuzu's hand and began running. "Come on, I hafta get it!"

"Hidan, quit running!" Kakuzu ordered to no avail. He mentally cursed himself for mentioning the damn thing in the first place.

Still, as Hidan rushed back to their home, he couldn't help but smile. This overly-religious side of Hidan was just one more thing about the guy that made Hidan, well, Hidan.

Hidan was a short tempered, foul-mouthed zealot. He was a greedy, scarred giant of a man.

They really were perfect for each other.


End file.
